The EASTERN JEWELS is finally LIVE !

The September blanket is a bit of an unusual one…because I start making it 7 months ago…it took ages ( but I am going to tell you why) but I finally can share it with you and I never been so eager to write about a project as much as I have been for this blanket.

So here is the story behind this latest collaboration between Jane Crowfoot, https://janiecrow.co.uk/presta/Stylecraft https://www.stylecraft-yarns.co.uk/ and myself.

I will start with a bold statement:

THIS IS THE BEST BLANKET I CROCHETED SO FAR!!!

…and let me tell you I have crocheted quite a few of them!

It has been a real labor of love and,considering that it is not such a big blanket, it has also taken me ages to come up with the final color selection. I have been through several balls of yarn and I have a big basket of failed attempts sitting in my studio!!!!

Look at this “baby”…how lovely is she????

So grab a coffee or a tea, sit comfortably so I can tell you the story of the latest creation I have been working on, behind the scenes, for the past few months.

It all started back at the beginning of the year with another recoloring project: the Frida Primavera which I am sure many of you have seen it.

I enjoyed the challenge very much, I knew the blanket as I had taken part to the CAL that Jane ran for Stylecraft the previous year.

And, I am taking the opportunity to say that I am so happy that the new colorway was well received by many of you, thank you again for all your lovely messages!!.

On that wave, Annabelle from Stylecraft and Jane asked me, back in March, if I would consider doing the same for the Persian Tiles.

and by now you know me so I said …

YES!!!!

I knew the original pattern as I had bought a copy from Jane when it got released but I never got around making it…

Hence I got quite excited about the prospect of working on something new. The Persian tiles was another chance to unplug, look away from the screens and my day job, let the liminal brain take over and unleash creativity.

Doing that for an already existing pattern is an added bonus as I feel like it is a bit like coloring between the lines, in a way, quite a safe exercise, as all I have to do is focus on the colors which are my favorite part of the process.

Where did I start from?

I always start, like I do for all my blankets, by making a sample of the motif with some random yarn as long as it is the same composition and gauge. It might seem a waste of time but it is the opposite. Making a sample helps you to familiarise yourself with the pattern. It helps you to solve some possible “tricky” parts and it gives you an idea of tension and size of the final motive. It also allows you to see if you need to adjust or not the size of your hook and finally it is a record of your work to keep as future reference, especially if you are making the blanket for someone else.

this is a picture of one of the ‘trial’ motifs I made as said, it is random yarn to start with….

Once I got the motif right then is when the fun starts as it is COLOUR TIME!

So this is the original Persian Tiles. The picture is from Michelle and Anne’s page crochetbetweenworlds.net Michelle and Anne are also Blogstars for Stylecraft, they are amazing and you should check their page! I believe this blanket was made by Michelle

what catches your eye first?

For me was the geometry of the pattern and how the original colors emphasized this aspect, so my first thought was that in order to make something that looked different and was a real alternative to the original, I needed to do something more than merely changing the original seven colors. I needed to come up with a different way to use colors and keep the geometry but in a more relax and loose manner. I show you what I mean with an example of actual tiles…

Here you have a collage of different way to use the colors in tiles that are very similar in style and all retain the same strong geometry feel. As you can see just changing how the colors are used it changes quite dramatically the overall look.

Using the tiles above as a reference, I thought that Jane’s original color selection was similar to square N.1. What caught my attention was square N.3

I liked how the geometry aspect was a bit diluted by the apparent randomness of the colors.

So let’s have a close-up look at the Eastern jewels…

Can you see where I am coming from? By not repeating the same sequence of colors for each motif it makes the blanket looks more ‘random’. In reality, it is not random at all, Every single color and its position have been chosen.

I used just 12 colors to start with including the buttermilk which is my “neutral”.

The buttermilk is actually the most important hue in all blanket. I was so pleased when Annabelle at Stylecraft accepted my proposal and introduced this new color in their range! I was so determined to convince her that it was a must! now you can see why…

these are the “neutrals” on the Stylecraft range…so you have:

white, cream, parchment, and buttermilk.

I apologize as the white is not in the picture but ..I run out of it!

Said that it doesn’t really matter because what I want to show you is not the actual hue but how they work with the other colors.

So now look how these neutrals behave in blankets….

WHITE:

CREAM:

PARCHMENT:

and finally the BUTTERMILK:

you will agree with me that if we are looking at:

PICTURE 1:

just ONE round of white in a very bright blanket still makes a huge impact.

PICTURE2 :

even if the percentage of the use of cream is much higher than in picture 1 it is still predominant but not as stark.:

PICTURE3:

there is a LOT of parchment…but it blends more with the colors and the impact is quite subdued.

finally PICTURE 4:

in the Eastern the buttermilk it is completely blended and helps the other colors to keep the geometry!

I know it might sound a bit too technical and boring but I want to give you the tools to see how colors behave so you can make your own combinations.

Another bit of theory and then I promise I stop..

the blanket uses as I said 12 colors. I needed to keep the number of colors down to keep the cost of the blanket ‘s kit down and also to avoid to have a lot of left-overs.

To create the illusion of LOADS of colors EVERY motif has a DIFFERENT colors combination, BUT even if there are 12 colors and 14 rounds on each of the hexagons, I used just an average of 7/8 colors for each Hexagon. The result is that each hexagon has a color which is more predominant and that is what creates the effect you see. Ironically if I had used all 12 hues for each hexagon ( considering that there are 14 rounds you could, in theory, use all the hues for each motif) I would have a much more uniform looking blanket than what you see.

how did I decide what colors to use and when? very, very simple:

I wanted a “HAPPY” blanket, and I started by selecting colors that I identify with that. Colors that remind me of the past, of happy holidays, beautiful landscapes, the Mediterranean sea, but also the colors of food, spices, and even, why not, …smells.

As an example of colors reference how about this picture of the Cinque Terre, five small villages on the Ligurian Coast of Italy called Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore…beautiful places so worth a visit if you are touring Italy.

Someone once asked me what computer program I use to choose and select the position of my colors…I actually laughed!!! because if you knew me in person you would know that my relationship with technology certainly is one of “LOVE-HATE”!

I love computers as they allow me to communicate with you, but at the same time, every single task doesn’t seem to come ‘naturally ‘ to me. I always struggle and forget the sequence of steps I have to take even in simple tasks as transforming an HR picture in a more manageable format so not to take all my allowance of data for the blog…so the idea of me mastering complex technologies and using some amazing gizmo of a color program is totally ludicrous!!

I use a large table crammed with pencils, balls of yarn, color swatches, and most of all my eyes…that is all there is to. No magic formulas in operation here!

Same goes to balance the blanket and choose the next round.

I always make one round at a time for each of the main motifs then I place them on the floor, the best place is outside if its not raining… as I get a real feel for the colors in natural light. Here is a couple of pictures of the blanket starting taking shape.

I wanted to share the creative process with you because it gives you an idea what takes making a blanket .. and that is just one part of it.

After the blanket is done, then the long and a bit tedious, process to record and translate my scribbles on my copybook into something that can be used starts…

I have to say I am not a fan of this particular stage of “blanket making” because you got to be precise and make sure that everything is correct and make sense, and I find all the above quite boring! I like playing with colors and making things..I do not like papers! but at the end of the day that is of no use if it is not shareable…after all it is like a cooking recipe: you cant say ‘Oh there is a bit of this and a pinch of that..’ if you want someone else to make it!

That is all there is about it, my dear fellow crocheters!!

I want to thank Jane once again for letting me play with her patterns, and Annabelle plus all her team at Stylecraft for their hospitality and making me feel part of the team, for checking and re-checking my notes …. for the copious amounts of yarn they send me on a regular basis and the platform they have offered me to share my work with all of you out there!

I leave you with a couple of pictures I took in July at Stylecraft’s HQ…

and… I know the Model on the billboard looks much better than me holding the blanket… but please indulge me a little. lol!!.. after all I do love the Eastern very much and

Trish Annie Stevens

Gillian

Wow I love it, I’ve started doing the original colour way but guess what I’m starting again I love your idea, I was getting bored doing them all the same colours, so cusion cover s they will now be a d I will be starting again thankyou, for your brilliant idea now I need more style craft colours x

Julia Pace

Samantha

Wow it’s just beautiful. I had seen it a while ago as it was leaked on instagram and I was desperate to get hold of the pattern. I’m a little disappointed it’s only going to be available in a kit as I prefer cotton yarns but maybe this will encourage me to try something new. Love it’s beautiful xx

Janet Leng

Lucia, thats just beautiful and I cant wait to make it. I loved your description of the colour theory and how you workd on the colour combinations and placement. . Also liked to see how you use the Mediterranean land/village/seascape as colour reference. Thank you for going into so much detail of the design process.
Best wishes
Janet

socango

Robyn Carlson

This is a stunning blanket, love, love, love. Thank you for sharing your creative process with us. It is truly inspiring to see how a project grows from an idea. I hope to be able to make this beautiful blanket.

Wilma

Ursula

This is just beautiful. I saw the blanket at a wholesaler’s show while visiting my DIL in The Netherlands. I am so sad that it will only be sold as a kit as I live in South Africa. Thank you for the details on colour that will be kept for future projects. xxx

Ronni

Your work is stunning! Thank you for the very informative post as well. I’ve hooked Frida blankets in 4 different color combos and 12 using blocks 1 and 2 only for baby blankets. Your explanation on how to go about it was spot on!
I look forward to other redo’s from you!
Best
Sheila Zachariae

Norma Stannard

Absolutely beautiful I have made the original and won prizes with it I will certainly be making this colourway. Thank you for sharing your process of designing colourways very, very interesting. Look forward to seeing more of your work.
Kind regards
Norma

janice

I am such a fan of your work. I love your explanation of the neutrals!! You really did a remarkable job on the Frieda and now the Eastern, Both are stunning designs but there is something about the colors you picked that make this design sing to me! I guess it is “happy” colors. Thank you for sharing.

janet

This is outstanding. Your concentration on locating just the right combinations of colors is very obvious. I’d love to make this because so many of the traditional pieces have such dark colors used. I like bright.

Just wow! My dear mother just taught me to crochet the day before yesterday with yarn shades inspired by my now-home of Split, Croatia. Now you’ve inspired me to capture the colors of my other adopted home, Sarajevo. This work is stunning and innovative!

Laura Whittington

this is the first time I’ve utterly needed to make a blanket. The fact that no two are the same really inspires me. i am terrible at doing something over and over again. I love looking at them but not doing them. I ADORE what you have done. thank you, and thank you for sharing your process. where do i sign up for the cal?

Vicki

So beautiful, your colours are amazing! I already have a kit to make persian tiles in the blues but perhaps I will be able to make one in your colours one day. Could you tell me, in your photo from Stylecraft HQ, do you know the origin / pattern of the star blanket on the LHS as I love that too.

admin

Hi Vicki, those are all blankets I made, the one on the LHS is made all out of batik the pattern is from a book called “crocheted gifts the author is Kim Werker. I have the book at home, but if you don’t I would suggest you have a look on Pinterest, there are quite a few squares with a central star available. put star granny square on the search engine and see what they site comes up with. failing that you can have a look at the book’s option.

Jan.

Louise Wh

I love this! My pack arrived this morning and I can’t wait to get started. The colours are so nice. I love to crochet but struggle with colours so this is perfect. Such a happy blanket!
Thank you Lucia.

Liz Elsworh

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog post Lucia, (I just found you via IG), gorgeous colours in the blanket. I made the Persian Tiles in the dark blue and gifted to my sister who was delighted with it. I may have to make this colour way for me! I loved the colour theory explanations about the neutrals too, I apply this theory to my artwork, you explained it so well for crochet projects. Really looking forward to exploring your blog posts, loving your work, you are so talented! The pictures of the tiles you included are beautiful too, just love the patterns and colours , they give me lots of inspiration too.

Tsivi

I love your choice of colours very much. Currently I am crocheting Jane’s Persian Tiles. But you inspired me to try my own choice of colours, after I finish it.
Thank you. Looking forward to your next project.

G-gurl

Thank you for sharing your creative process. I have to say as soon as I saw your version it ‘spoke’ to me and I just had to indulge! I bought the original pattern some time ago but never got round to starting it but your colours gave me the push to start. I’ve started it last night and am thoroughly enjoying it! I have recorded my progress on ravelry. Thanks again for a wonderful adaptation to this stunning pattern 🙂

Ondrea

Oh my! What an absolutely gorgeous array of colours!! I was tempted to try crocheting the original colourways but I am so glad I procrastinated. I definately wish to purchase this kit now but I am a little wary about the expertise required. I have made 2 CAL blankets from kits as a novice crocheter but wonder if I would be able to master this beautiful blanket. Can you advise me??? I can do basic stitches. Cheers from Australia.

admin

You definitely will. The instructions on the original pattern are very comprehensive and clear. And all you have to do is to follow the original pattern using the colours that I listed ,round by round, in my brochure. There aren’t fancy stitches just a couple of front posts but there are photos to help you. The rest is just the basic double crochet , trebles, half trebles and double trebles. All the best, lucia xxx

janet

admin

Hi Janet, nothing of very complicated at all. You have double crochet, trebles,half trebles, double trebles and the only thing there are some front double trebles , but the instructions have some photos so you can see the stitches . Jane’s instructions are always excellent . So if you can master the above you can do the blanket. Also remember all the instructions are in Uk terms.

Kathy Yurek

This is by far, one if the most breathtaking blankets I’ve ever seen!!! And thank you so much for sharing your thought process, because it never would have occurred to me to change a pattern the way you have. Amazing!!

Dear Lucia, what an AMAZING piece of art… you have touched my heart (and my daughters’). I would love to make one myself. But I have close to no crochetting experience. So this might be a bit ambitious :-). Then again, it is always good to have some interesting items on one’s bucket list, right? So my question to you: what should I do in order to be able to learn myself how to make this blanket – someday…? Do you have any starters projects for me to exercise some skills or techniques first? Can you recommend some good tutorials or books? Thanks a lot, Hanne (from Belgium – excuses the language errors)

admin

Hi Hanne, well you have a few alternatives…If you have a shop or someone close by that does crochet lessons I would start joining a beginners class. It is great fun starting crocheting with others. otherwise, if classes are not an option, I think I would opt for some youtube videos. there are many out there that can take you over the basic steps to start crocheting.
As a project, I think you might want to start with a basic granny square and see how you are getting on with that.That should give you the basic stitches like chain, single-crochet double crochet etc.
The eastern jewels doesn’t have complicated stitches ( besides a couple of front post trebles) the instructions written by Jane are extremely good but it requires a minimum of knowledge.
So start with something simple as a granny square or a V stitch blanket or a granny stitch blanket. You can see all the above in a couple of Blogs. I think the best blogs for beginners are my friends Lucy and Heather.
Lucy’s attic24 http://attic24.typepad.com/ . has beautiful basic blankets with lovely colours combinations and great tutorials really easy to follow. and Heather’s at Patchwork heart http://www.thepatchworkheart.co.uk/ has similar projects again great tutorials. I also would advise you to get some lovely acrylic in DK to start with ( even a small pack ). because you are in Belgium I am not so sure what is available in terms of yarns but if you follow the links on Lucy’s page the wool warehouse does some lovely packs with her colours that are very reasonably priced and they do international shipping.http://www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/ . also invest some money on a quality hook , it makes a huge difference , trust me.I love clover amours a size 4 is perfect for a dk yarn.
hope it helps as a starting point, let me know how you are getting on,
take care Lucia xxx

Angie H-R

Hi
I purchased the tile pattern earlier this year at Wonder Wool in Wales, although I liked the pattern design itself, unfortunately the original colours did not gel with me, so it has been left untouched and unloved. I have now found your new interpretation of the Persian Tile pattern and it has really made me want to get my hooks into the colours you have used or find the kit if still available.
What a difference colours make to any project and I’m so glad that you have such a good eye

Stunning colour choices! This is a gorgeous blanket. Like you, I love colour and I prefer to just ‘wing it’. Writing up patterns is not my favourite thing, either, but I’m practising. Thanks for sharing your process as to choosing colours. Your explanation was clear and helpful.
~ Linne

Rosie

*Please excuse swearing*
Holy fuck this is incredible and I am in awe!! I stumbled across your blankets on another site and they’re so beautiful and more so now that I know the backstory. The detail is astonishing and so are you, just…wow, I gasped when I saw it!
I don’t know what else to say I’m speechless and now I want to learn how to crochet

Nancy

FANTASTIC! Thank you for explaining your methodology and the lesson on color value. I’m always startled when I see an identical design bordered by black, then white. It changes the impact of the colors so dramatically. Similarly, as you demonstrate, the effect of several values of what I’ll call white creates very different designs. White and black are harsh – stringent when compared to creams and grays. This concept applies to everything – traditional art as well as handcrafts like knitting, crocheting and quilting. Many, many thanks for sharing.

Angela H-R

I had purchased the original Persian Tiles pattern from a yarn show, but the colours unfortunately left me cold and uninspired. Then somehow I found your blog and the I saw the Eastern Jewels colourway and I ordered the kit that evening. I finished my blanket before Christmas and it’s stunning and a lovely make. Thank you.

Belinda Sweeney

Absolutely totally beautiful Lucia your colourselection is just the most exquisite I have ever seen. The colour selection is just so happy, you have brightened what had been a miserable day. Thank you
Hugz

Astrid

Thanks Lucia, this is beautiful, and I found your description and photos wonderful. I made the original blanket and I love that, but I can’t wait to try these colours too and have bought the pack. I was wondering is there a pattern somewhere for the ripple blanket you used to illustrate the use of white as a neutral? Looking forward to seeing more of your work in future.

Tgrove

Catherine

Is there any chance this will become available as a downloadable pattern? I live in the US so that would be helpful. Also, the pack has been sold out online for a while (when I have checked). Is there a secret I need to know to buy it? 🙂

admin

Hi Catherine,
The colourways of the Eastern Jewel is just available as part of the pack. that is how Stylecraft has decided to promote it. I just designed the colourways and crochet the blanket, I am not involved in how it is offered to the public, but there are packs in stock at Poppy’s and they do deliver to the US, I know Helen and Pete personally, they are a very reputable company and I highly recommend them.https://www.poppys-holmfirth.co.uk/stylecraft-br-persian-tiles-br-eastern-jewels-pack-br-i1892.htm
lucia xx

Shirley Shore

This is an absolutely gorgeous blanket! I love it.! You are very talented at combining colourways. I would love to make a blanket like this and to know if their is a pattern available? I think I will subscribe to your blog. I don’t want to miss what you might do next!

Karen Gruber

Thank you so much for your thoughtful article. The pictures of the tiles you shared are very enlightening, and how you took what you learned from looking at the tiles and found a “path” to your color selection was pretty inspiring for a fellow yarn “addict” to see, step by step. This is something I always spend a lot of time on, but aren’t always happy with the results. No wonder you love color! When I saw the picture of the villages, I though at first it was a painting! Thank you again, so much for sharing what you know!

Karen Donaldson Gruber

….and by the way, thank you for the beautiful visual image of you, your village and your lovely ladies under the fig tree, and allowing me to sit there with you for a few minutes! I’ve never been to Italy but I hope to go some day.

About Me

My name is Lucia, I am originally from a small village in northern Italy, but I have been living in Scotland for the last 25 years, I am a mother of four lovely kids, well not really kids anymore..my oldest is 23 and my youngest 12.
I did architecture at University in Venice and my love for fabrics, interiors and colours and yarn as been not only part of my job but also my hobby too.
I started to crochet when I was young during my summer holiday in Tuscany with my two grandmothers, their cousin Mariuccia and several other ladies which regularly came for few hours every day, under the shadow a massive fig tree.
It was an oasis for chatting, learning crochet, knitting plus cooking naturally!
Time has moved on, and I live in another country, so I decided to take advantage of the Internet and create a virtual fig tree where we can all gather together and make things!